Piazza dell’Anfiteatro

As you step into the Amphitheater square, you might almost hear the echoes of gladiator battles still resonating. Its unique oval shape isn’t a coincidence: you're standing right where the ancient Roman amphitheater of Lucca once stood, built between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, and capable of holding up to 10,000 spectators. During the Middle Ages, the structure was gradually transformed into a fortress, then into warehouses, a prison and even homes, with stones from its seating and structures being reused to build the houses you see today. The centre of the arena was divided into plots and at times even turned into vegetable gardens. Over time, these buildings were constructed directly on the Roman foundations, perfectly following the elliptical shape of the arena, and in the 19th century architect Lorenzo Nottolini cleared the central space to create this open square while preserving the exact outline of the former monument. The four vaulted passages that provide access correspond to the original entrances of the amphitheatre, and one of them still retains an authentic Roman arch, while today the colourful façades surrounding the square still rest on these ancient structures, some parts of which remain buried several metres beneath your feet and are sometimes visible in the walls or cellars of the shops.